Electric toaster



March 26, 1935. J, J. GOUGH 1,996,015

ELECTRIC T6ASTER v Original Filed Aug. 25, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor:

W Q ZL March 26, 1935. J. GOUGH 1,996,015

ELECTRIC TOASTER O rigina1 Filed Aug. 25, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4/ T 42 a J6 WW 34- 7' jgmc 6007 March 26, 1935. J. J. GOUGH 1,996,015

' I ELECTRIC TOASTER v Original Filed Aug. 25, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 M 5 '.5 .30 6 A? /7 y a &

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Inf/671567 2 \i .3 Jamg Iq q W flflfbrne z/ Patented Mar. 26, .1935

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE) Electric Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois I Y Reilled. for abandoned application Serial No. 686,728, August 25, 1933. This application December 10, 1934, Serial No. 756,890

12 Claims.

This application is a refiling of my application 1t 9686fl28 on an Electric toaster, filed August 25,

My invention relates to the electric toasters in which two slices of bread are supported at respectively opposite sides of a zigzagged coil or resist-. ance wire, with a hinged door laterally outward of each sliceof bread to confine the heating effect.

Generally speaking, my invention aims to accomplish these objects without materially increasing the cost of the toaster in comparison with earlier toasters of the same general type:

(1) Effectively stiffening the customary (inverted U-shaped) casing portion so as to avoid a distorting of this casing part when made'of quite light metal.

(2) Constructing the stiffening means so that they can readily be attachedwithoutrequiring rivets or other auxiliary fastening elements, and so that these means will also ornament the eas- (3) Employing an innerinverted stirrup for supporting the heating wire at the upper bends of that wire, and arranging this stirrup so as to be held in place without requiring any auxiliary fastening elements. g

(4) Constructing .the guard wires,. against which the bread rests, so that they will latch the inner stirrup to the base of the toaster before the inverted U-shaped casing portion is attached to the said base, thereby freely permitting the said base and stirrup to be handled in any position as a unit to facilitate the attaching of the said casing portion to the base.

(5) Constructing each door so that it will extend considerably lower than the slice of bread adjacent to it, thereby reducing the flow of cool air into the interior of the casing.

(6) Providing inlet and outlet openings arranged for causing air to flow upward along the inward face of each slice of bread to a suillcient extent for avoiding a scorching of the lower portion of the bread during normal toasting.

('7) Providing a novel arrangement for supporting the closure spring associated with each door, and one which will readily per'mit each door to be snapped into its normal pivoted position after the spring has been attached to the door.

Still further-and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an'electri'c'toaster embodying my invention, with the nearer door swung open.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through Fig. 1 along the line 2-2. p r

:Fig. 3 is a central, longitudinal and vertical section through Fig. 1, with the midhelght portion of the toaster broken away.-

Fig. 4 is a"fragmentaryperspective view-of the main (inverted U-shaped) casing member;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of an end portion of the stifiencr for the top of the said casing member.

Fig. 6 is a reduced inside elevation of one of the end stilfenersIfor the same casing member, drawn on a smaller scale than Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary and'enlarged section, taken along theline 7-7 of Fig.,- 1, showing the hooking of the upper end of the end stiffener of Fig. 6 to a leg of the said casing member.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective'vlew of the base of the toaster and of the inverted (inner) stirrup supported by the saidbase.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged and fragmentary section taken along the line 9-9 of Fig. 3, showing the nipple around which one of the door-closing springs is coiled, together'with parts adjacent to this nipple. I

Fig. 9A is a sectional view, showing the other end hingeconnection of the door and frame.

Fig. 10 is a vertical section, taken along the line 10-10 ofFige9.

Fig. 11 is a view showing the pivoting portions of the two side flanges on one of the doors, showing the difference in size of the pivoting perfober of my toaster is a sheet metal punching dished upwardly and formed (as shown ln Figs. 1 and 8) to afford a horizontal base top 1 supported by-corner legs 2 which are stiffened by side flanges 3 and end flanges 4 depending from the said base top.

' Supported by this base is a main casing meme ber of right-angled inverted U-section (Fig. 4)

comprising two legs 5 connected by a topportion 6,'this member being formed of flat sheet steel but here shown as partly embossed to add to the ornamental appearance of the toaster. Each leg 5 has the major portion of its lower end seated on the base top; and also has two widely spaced fingers or tabs '7 extending beyond this lower end through slots 8 (Fig. 8) in the said base tdp, which tabs are clinched upwardly against the lower face of the said base top (as shownin Fig.-

, Before thus fastening this casing member to the base, I first interlock the: top 1 this base with tabs 9 which project downwardly respec tively from the lower ends of the shanks 10 of an invertedstirrup (Fig. 8) of sufliciently small,-

er dimensions than the said casing member so as to flt within the latter, each of which tabs 9 merely extend downwardly through correspond-- ingly located slots in the base top 1. This stir-- rup consists of a horizontal top 11 connecting the upper ends to two stirrup shanks 10, and the said stirrup top has an upwardly directed flange 12 extending along each longitudinaledge ofthat member, so that the said stirrup top, is effectively channel-sectioned.

Moreover, this stirrup top has its main portion 11 provided with spaced transverse slots 13- (Fig. 8) for receiving the shanks of upper hooks 14. made of porcelain or other heat-insulating. material. Each of these hooks has at its upper end a head 14A (Fig. 2) of larger area than one of the perforations 13 and of a height not greater than the 'distance to which the side flanges 12 on the-inverted stirrup extend upwardly beyond the main portion 11 of this stirrup.

Tosecure rigidity for the inverted u-shaped casing member of'Fig. '4, while making this of j each shank 32 near its lower end with are'verse bend affording an offsetting portion 32A (as thin sheet: metal, I provide thehorizontal top portion 6 of this member near each end of that member with a transverse slot 15, as shown in Fig. 4. Then I provide a casing-top stiffener 16 (Fig; 1) 'of downwardly open inverted rectang'ular box shape and desirably narrower than the said top portion'6. This stiffener has each end flange provided with a projecting tab 1'1 which initially extends vertically downward (as shown iridotted lines in Fig. 5) and which thereafter is bent upward against the lower face of the top part 6 of the main inverted casing member, as shown in Fig.3. When this top stiffener 16- is thus clinched to the said top part 6, it makes the majorportion of that top part'a quite stiff box-like structure, even when quite thin metal was used both for the said casing member and for the stiffener.

In assembling the, stationary parts of my toaster, I may proceed as follows I First, I fasten the two terminals 18 of a coiled high-resistance wire ,19-to the base top 1 conjointly with the terminals of the two 'circuit wires 20 .(which extend through a bushing 22in one end flange of the base) by rivets 21. These rivets are insulated from the base top 1 in the usual manner by upper and lower washers 23,

with each upper washer seating in a depression 24' (Fig. 8) inthe said base top to center the shank 'of the corresponding "rivet mam; hold through the openings 13in the top member 11 of this stirrup. Then I support this partial as- 'semblage so that itsmedial longitudinal vertical 'planenamely the plane along which the section of Fig. 3 was-taken in-Fig. 2is horizontal, and" slide theshanks of the lower hooks 26 through the slots 2'7 (Fig. 8) provided for them iii thebasetop 1,these slots being instaggered relation to the slots-13 in the top part 11 of the inverted stirrup. r

The coiled'resistance wire, which meanwhile" through the said perforations.

extended as a looseloop beyond the base, isthen hooked alternately through the upper and lower hooks in -zigmg formation as shown in Figs. 1'

and 3. This coiled wire, as initially formed, is a resilient and longer than operative length as shown in the just namedflgureaso that'it has to be stretched while thus looping itthrough the said hooks; and owing to its resiliency, this coiled wire istensioned during this attaching, so

that it draws the heads 14A of the upper hooks against the stirrup top 6, draws the head 26A of the lower hooksagainst the lower face of the base top ,1 as shown in Fig. 2, and also clamps the shanks 5 of the inverted stirrup against this base top. l

Next, the resulting assemblage is turned upright andinverted guard loops are slipped over the channel-sectioned top member of the inverted stirrup. Each of theseguardloops is a U'-shaped wire proportioned so that its bight or U-back 30 will extend through and seat in a pair of opposed recesses 31 (Fig. 8) in the two side flange 12 of the topof the inverted stirrup, and

so that the downwardly diverging-shanks 32 of this wire loop will slide through perforations 33 in the base-top land project downwardly beyond this base-top. r t

In forming these guard loops, 1: also provide slightly larger in diameter than the wire from which each guard loop is formed, I enable the assembler to snap these shank end portions And, when the length of each main shank portion 32 is substantially equal to the distance between the lower end of a base top perforation 33 and the lower edge of the corresponding flange recess 31 in the top' of the inverted stirrup, the offsetting guard loop portions 32A latch the guard loop to both the To stiffen the upright legs 5 of the inverted U -shaped casingportion, Ialso provide hollow end stiffeners for each of these legs, and prefers manner of a sidewise-opening box having itslower,

end cutaway, with a hook-like tab 36 projecting from its'upper end and with two spaced tabs 37 projecting downwardly from: its. lower end, as

shown irr'Fig. 6. To cooperate withthesetabs,

I provide each :casing end 5 in its upper portion witha perforation 56 (Fig.4) through which the upper hook-like tab 36 can readily be hooked as in Fig. "l, theoflsetting portion 36A being preferably at right angles to both the main part 35 of the-end stiffener and the main part 36 of the said tab. Then I also provide the base-top 1 naar each end thereof with two spaced slots 38 (Fig. 8)

through which the lower tabs 37on an end stiffener can slidably extend downwardly.

Thusformed, each stiffener can be hookingly attached to oneleg 5 of the (inverted UV-shaped) main casing member while the latter is freely held. This member is then slid over the inverted. stirrup 'on the previously described assemblage so as to have the end tabs .7 (Fig. 4) of the said member. extend (as in Fig. 3) through the basetop perforations provided for them, while :the bottom tabs 37-on each'end stiffener extend slidably through the slots 38' in the said base-top. The'thus enlargedhassemblage is then invert;d, and the leg-end tabs '7 on the main casing member (which temporarily extended vertically through thebase-top) are then clinched against the lower face ofthis base-top as shown inFig. 3

With the legs of the main casing member and the shanks of the inverted stirrup suitably proportioned in height, this assembling causes the' top part 6 of the said casing member to bear;

downwardly on the upper edges of the side flanges 12 (Fig. 8 of the top portion of the inverted stirrup, thereby clamping the lower ends of the' stirrup shanks to the base-top. At the same time, the interengaging of the offset portion;36A

of each end stiffener'with-the adjacent leg 5 of the main .casing portion (as shown in Fig. 7) also.-

clamps the lower end of that stiffener against the base-top. Consequently, neither the tabs 9 of the stirrup shanks (Fig. 8) nor the bottom tabs 37 on the end stifieners need to be clinched over, so that the number of needed fastening operations is quite small.

Each of the legsor end portions 5 of the main casing member'also has two integral fingers 40 formed fromit near each lower corner, as shown in Fig. 4, with each finger extending toward alining-with a similar finger on the other leg, so that each two opposed fingers can serve as pivots for one of the usual ,two side doors of the toaster. Each door has side flanges projecting inwardly. fromits main portion, and has each such flangeprovided near the lower end of the door with a.

perforation through which one of the said pivot fingers normally extends. However, while one such flange 42 (Fig. ll) has its perforation 43 of such a size that the pivot finger 40 on the adjacent casing end will journal directly in this per-L- foration, the companion perforation 43Ain the other flange 42A is larger in diameter than the width of the adjacent pivot finger, so that a nipple 44 can be interposed between the last named pivot finger and the bore wall of theflangeperforation 43A, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

This nipple 44 is inserttd slidably through the perforation 43A, desirably presents head outside the flange 42A; and this nipple has its inner end forked, as shown inFig. 9, so as to straddlev one side .edge of the hereafter describedbread-supe porting flange 50 on the door. Coiled around the main portion of the nipple 44, laterally inward of the side flange 42A through which this nipple extends, is a spring 45 which has one end hooked through one of. .the hereafter recited air-admitting ,openings 52 in the bread-supporting flange 50, while the other. end of the spring interlocks with a hook 51 formed on the adjacent shank 1c. of the (inner) inverted stirrup (as shown in Figs 2 and 8') to tension the spring.

To allow for the just recited nipple andspri'ng' arrangement and to secure otheradvantages, I

extend the main portion 41 of each doordownwardly beyond its pivot. axis a s shown at the.

left-hand side of Fig; 2, and provide the door at its lower end with an extension flange 50 which is narrower than the spacing between the side flanges 42 and 42A of the door (as shown in Fig. 9). This door-extension flange includes a portion 50A of normally approximately upright pivot finger.

Fig. 2). will have only the outer edge of the toast resting on the said main flange part, thereby permitting air to flow through apertures 52 in this flange. In addition, the inner end portion 53 desirably normally depends vertically almost to the top 1 of the toaster base, so' as to restrict the admission of air into the casing of r the toaster.

I also provide'the top 6 of the main casing member near'each longitudinal edge of this top with longitudinal rows of apertures 54, as shown in Figs; 1 and 4. With the door flanges and'the superposed rows of apertures thus arranged, the

heat within the toaster readily causes air to enter through theflange apertures 53 and then to flow under the bread andupwardly along the inward face of the bread and out through the top apertures 54, as shown by the'arro'ws in Fig. 2. This flowof air tends to equalize the temperature of .the inner face of the bread and effectively prevents .the' lower part of the bread from being scorched by the time the upper 'partof the bread is toasted.

With my above described door, thimble 'and spring arrangement, the straddling of an edge of the bottom flange on the door combineswith the door-flange perforation through which the nipple extends to hold the nipple substantially coaxial with the two pivot fingers for that door. And to prevent this nipple from sliding outwardly, I desirably form the nipple so that an edgeportion of the straddled door flange is frictionally gripped between'two parts of it, as shown inFig.10. I Thus arranged, the'door, thimble and spring assembly can be freely handled'as a unit for attaching the door to the inverted casing member. This is done by first slipping the perforated the spring from the said hook and then reversing the just recited attaching procedure, the unitary assemblage of the door with the thimble and the With suitably proportioned lengths, of the pivot fingers, the door can readily be atspring can readilybe detached from the main casing portion in case the door or some. other part has become damaged,

In practice, I also provide a trough 55 underhanging the base-top 1 (as in Figs. 2. and 3) forv preventingthefinger of a user from accidentally contacting with the wire terminals. This trough desirably has flanges 58 extending laterally out.-

ward from theupperedges of itstrough sides. as shown in Fig. 2, so that the clinched tabs? (Fig. 4) of the invertedU-shapedcasingmember may underhang these flanges as well as the basetop 1, thereby conjointly clamping the said casing member to both the trough and the basetop.

With my toaster thus arranged, most of the metal parts can be manufactured bysimple punch-press operations, while the assembling of the parts consists. of simple. sliding operations ment, I do not wish, to be limited in these re-" 'spects, since many changes might be made without departing eitherfrom the spirit of/my invention or from the appended claims. So also, I do not wishto be limited to the conjoint use of the numerous novel features here disclosed- I claim as my invention:

1. In an electric toaster, a base member; an inverted" U-shaped casing member presenting a top portion and two legs, each leg being secured at its lower end to the base member; an inverted stirrup extending-within the said member and clamped between the base member and the said top. portion of the casing member, and a heating element interposed between the base member and the said top portion. I

2. In an electric toaster, an assemblage of elements as per claim 1, in'which the shanks-of the stirrup bear flatwise respectively againstv the inner faces of the said two legs.

3. In an electric toaster, an assemblage of elements. as per claim. 1; and a plurality of guard wires interposed between the base member and opposite sides of the tdpof the said invertedstirrup, the said guard wires being interlocked with both the said stirrup top and the base memher to clamp the stirrup to the base member, prior to the attaching of the said casing member to the base member. f'

' 4. In a casing for an electric toaster, a base member provided with perforations, an inverted U-shaped stirrup having its legs seated on. the

base member and having .the lower end of each leg provided with a finger extending downwardly through one of the said perforations; and an inverted U-shaped casing member having its top in downward'engagement with thetop of the said stirrup, and having its lower ends fastened to the base member to clamp'the said stirrup against the base member.

5. Ina casing for .an'electric toaster, a base member; aninverted U-shaped casingmember having the lower ends of its legs seated upon and fastened to the base member, the said casing member having a horizontal top portion provided-with two spaced slots; and a stiffener comprising an inverted and downwardly open'rectangular box-like punching having the lower edges of all four box sides seated on the said-- top portion and having a tab extending downwardly from each end of the stiffener and hooked through one of the said slots;

6. In a casing for an electric toaster, a base member presentinga raised base top' provided with perforations: an inverted U shaped casing memberhaving the lower ends of its legs fastened to the saidbase top and having each leg: provided in its upper portion with a'perforation, and two .stiffeners each bearing against the outward face of one of the said legs; each stiffener having at its lower end a tab extending downwardly through one of the said perforationsin the base top, and having at its upper end a tab hooked through a perforation in the adjacent leg and bearing against the inner face of that'leg, whereby the fastening of the said legs-to the base top affords a rigid assembly of the said-base member, casing member and the two stifl'eners.

[7. In a toaster, a casing, including two substantially upright end members and a base connecting the lower ends of the end members; each end member having a pivotflnger projecting from it toward the other end member, the pivot fingers alining axially with each other; a door spanning the end members and having two end flanges each provided with a perforation, the pivot element on one of the end membersbe'ing journaled directly in the perforation in one of the end having its ends interlocked respectively with the door and withv the endmember adjacent to the spring. 1 L

8. In an electric toaster, an assemblage of elements as per claim 7, in which thenipple is clinched to the door and the spring is laterally inward of the door flange adjacent to it, whereby the nipple and'spring together with the door constitute a unitary assembly when the door is detached from the end members of the" casing.

9."Ina toaster, an assemblageof elements as per claim-7, in which the inner end of the'nipple is forked and straddles a portion of the door.

10. In a toaster of the class having two spaced end" members extending from abase to a top member, a' door pivoted near its lower-edge respectively to the two end members, the door'comprising a main portion extending both upwardly and-downwardly fromthe axis of the said pivoting anda continuation portion; the continuation portion beingrecurved inwardly and then upwardly at an acute angleto the general plane of the main portion of the door, and thereafter recurved inwardly and at a downwardly sloping angle .to .the said plane, the juncture of the said recurved portions affording a rid v upon which the lower edge of'a' slice of bread can be seated during the toasting.

11. In a toaster, an assemblageof, elements as per claim 10, in which the downwardly sloping portion of the door is perforated to permit air to flow under the lower edge of the slice of bread. 12. In a toaster, an assemblage of elements as per claim 10, in which the downwardly sloping portion of the door is perforated topermitair to flow under the lower edge of the sliceof bread seated on the said ridge; and in which the said top member is provided with'perforations adjacent to and inward of the upper end of the'door to cooperate with the perforating of .the'said sloping portion of the door,whereby convection currents will cause air to flow upwardly'along 

